FIG. 16 shows one example of a multiple-fiber optical connector which is representative of an optical component. As shown in the same drawing, the optical connector 1 has a ferrule 2 which acts as a housing. An optical fiber 4 whose coating is removed at its tip end of an optical fiber ribbon 12 is inserted into an optical fiber insertion hole 7 formed inside the ferrule 2 so that the end faces side thereof are exposed to the connection end faces 5 of the ferrule 2. The connection end side of the optical fiber 4 is fixed at the ferrule 2 with an adhesive agent or the like in a state where the connection end thereof protrudes, for example, 1 .mu.m from the connection end faces 5 of the ferrule 2. A pin fitting hole 9 is formed at both sides of the fixing area of the optical fiber 4, thereby assembling the optical connector 1. Furthermore, the abovementioned optical fiber 4 acts as an optical wave guide.
FIG. 17 shows one example of a connected structure of such a multiple-fiber optical connector 1. The optical connector 1 illustrated in the same drawing is formed so that the connection end faces 5 (of the ferrule) thereof are formed to be a plane inclined 8 degrees with respect to the plane orthogonal to the optical axis of the optical fiber 4 and a plane orthogonal to the optical axis. Furthermore, in the same drawing, the optical connector 1a is illustrated by a side elevational view and the optical connector 1b is illustrated by a sectional view. As shown in the same drawing, the optical connector 1a and optical connector 1b are disposed so that their connection end faces 5 (of the ferrule) thereof are opposite to each other, and the optical connector 1a and optical connector 1b are positioned with respect to each other by fitting a common connection pin 36 into a pin fitting hole 9 of the optical connector 1a and a pin fitting hole 9 of the optical connector 1b.
And, by this positioning, the optical fibers 4 of the optical connectors 1a and 1b are positioned, wherein the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the optical fibers 4 are directly and physically connected to each other without any connection assisting agent or the like. Furthermore, such a directly physical connection of optical fibers 4 is called a PC contact (physical contact) of optical fibers 4.
As described above, in order to enable the PC contact of optical fibers 4 at the optical connector 1, conventionally, for example, as shown in FIG. 18, a slurry-like lapping liquid containing alumina is placed on a polishing base 33, and the connection end faces 5 (of the ferrule) of the optical connector 1 are pressed to the lapping liquid 40 to polish the connection end faces (of the ferrule) thereof. In this polishing, utilizing the difference in materials between the ferrule 2 of the optical connector 1 and the optical fibers 4, the ferrule 2 which is softer than the optical fibers 4 is more polished by the lapping liquid 40, wherein the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the optical fibers 4 are to caused to protrude 1 .mu.m or so from the connection end faces 5 of the ferrule 2 as described above.
However, the material of the ferrule 2 of the optical connector 1 is composed of a mixed material consisting of glass at a ratio of, for example, 80 percent, and resin at a ratio of 20 percent. Since the difference in hardness between the optical fibers 4 formed of quartz glass or the like and the ferrule 2 is not so great, there was such a problem, by which a remarkably long time was required to cause the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the optical fibers 4 to protrude slightly 1 .mu.m from the connection end faces 5 of the ferrule 2 as described above, and a longer period of time was required to polish the optical connector 1.
Furthermore, since the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of the optical fibers 4 are permitted to protrude a slightly short length of only 1 .mu.m from the connection end faces 5 of the ferrule 2 even though a greater amount of time is taken, it was difficult to guarantee a good quality PC contact without fail, by protrusion of the optical fibers. Moreover, there is another problem, wherein if the amount of protrusion of optical fibers 4 is slight, a clearance is produced between the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of optical fibers 4 of optical connectors 1a and 1b even though the optical connectors 1a and 1b make only a slight positional slip, and the optical connection loss of the optical fibers 4 is increased.
The present invention was developed in order to solve the abovementioned conventional shortcomings and problems, and it is therefore an object of the invention to provide an optical component, a method for polishing the end faces of optical components, and an apparatus for polishing the same, by which it is possible to polish an optical wave guide such as optical fibers with the optical wave guide protruded a desired length from the connection end faces (of the ferrule) of an optical component such as an optical connector, and a good quality PC contact is enabled between optical components.